Driving circuit for power switching device, driving method thereof, and switching power supply apparatus

ABSTRACT

A driving circuit includes a generator configured to generate a driving signal having plural levels of voltage at which a power switching device is turned on. The driving circuit also includes a switching controller configured to switch between the plural levels of voltage at which the power switching device is turned on. The driving circuit further includes a load current detector configured to output a load current detection signal to the switching controller, the load current detection signal indicating whether or not a current flowing through the power switching device exceeds a threshold, wherein the switching controller is configured to perform the switching based on the load current detection.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of pending U.S.application Ser. No. 12/265,217, filed on Nov. 5, 2008, the contents ofwhich are expressly incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

(1) Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a driving circuit which outputs adriving signal to a power switching device in a switching power supplyapparatus.

(2) Description of the Related Art

In recent years, from the point of view of anti-global warming measures,standby power reduction in home electric appliances has drawn attention,and switching power supply apparatuses which consume less power onstandby has been in strong demand.

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of aswitching power supply apparatus 200. The switching power supplyapparatus 200 controls on and off of a voltage control type switchingdevice 25 to output a stable direct current voltage. Specifically, theswitching power supply apparatus 200 includes a primary side rectifyingand smoothing circuit 101, a switching circuit 102, a transformer 103, asecondary side rectifying and smoothing circuit 104, and a feedbackcircuit 119.

The primary side rectifying and smoothing circuit 101 includes a diodebridge 109 and an input capacitor 110. In the primary side rectifyingand smoothing circuit 101, the diode bridge 109 full-wave rectifies avoltage and the input capacitor 110 smoothes the full-wave rectifiedvoltage.

The switching circuit 102 causes the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 to switch at high speed, and outputs an alternating currenthaving a high frequency to the transformer 103. Specifically, theswitching circuit 102 includes a driving circuit 108, an externalresistor 121 of the driving circuit 108, a resonant capacitor 122, andthe voltage control type switching device 25. The voltage control typeswitching device 25 is a power switching device such as ametal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET).

A primary winding 111 is provided in the transformer 103. The primarywinding 111 and the voltage control type switching device 25 areconnected in series, and an input direct current voltage is supplied tothe series circuit.

A gate terminal of the voltage control type switching device 25 isconnected to the driving circuit 108, and conduction and cutoff of thevoltage control type switching device 25 are controlled by a drivingsignal provided by the driving circuit 108.

Furthermore, a secondary winding 112 magnetically coupled with theprimary winding 111 and an auxiliary winding 120 magnetically coupledwith the primary and secondary windings 111 and 112 are provided in thetransformer 103. When a switching operation of the voltage control typeswitching device 25 causes a current to flow intermittently through theprimary winding 111, a voltage is induced in the secondary winding 112and the auxiliary winding 120.

The secondary side rectifying and smoothing circuit 104 rectifies andsmoothes the voltage induced in the secondary winding 112 to generate anoutput direct current voltage, and outputs the voltage from outputterminals 117 and 118. Here, the secondary side rectifying and smoothingcircuit 104 includes a rectifying diode 113, a choke coil 114, a firstoutput capacitor 115, and a second output capacitor 116. The choke coil114, the first output capacitor 115, and the second output capacitor 116are connected in π-type. The voltage induced in the secondary winding112 is half-wave rectified by the rectifying diode 113, and thehalf-wave rectified voltage is smoothed by the choke coil 114 and thefirst and second capacitors 115 and 116.

The voltage induced at both ends of the auxiliary winding 120 isinputted to a control terminal of the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 via the driving circuit 108. The switching power supplyapparatus 200 employs a Ringing Choke Converter (RCC) method. Thevoltage control type switching device 25 self-excites with the voltageinduced in the auxiliary winding 120 to perform the switching operation.

The driving circuit 108 uses the voltage induced in the auxiliarywinding 120 to generate an auxiliary direct current voltage inside. Thedriving circuit 108, except when first starting up, operates on theauxiliary direct current voltage.

It is to be noted that when first starting up, that is, when analternating current voltage is supplied between input terminals 105 and106, because the voltage control type switching device 25 does notperform the switching operation, no voltage is induced in the auxiliarywinding 120 and the driving circuit 108 has no power supply.Accordingly, in order to cause the voltage control type switching device25 to start the switching operation, the primary side rectifying andsmoothing circuit 101 supplies, via the external resistor 121 (highvoltage, high power) of the driving circuit 108, a low voltagesufficient to activate the driving circuit 108.

Moreover, a voltage value or a current value between the outputterminals 117 and 118 is fed back to the driving circuit 108 via thefeedback circuit 119. For instance, in the case where the voltagebetween the output terminals 117 and 118 decreases, the driving circuit108 forcibly extends a conduction period of the voltage control typeswitching device 25. Conversely, in the case where the voltage betweenthe output terminals 117 and 118 rises, the driving circuit 108 forciblyshortens a conduction period of the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 and performs control so that the voltage between the outputterminals 117 and 118 is maintained at a certain value.

Here, in the case where a load connected between the output terminals117 and 118 is heavy, in the above-mentioned switching power supplyapparatus 200 employing the RCC method, the conduction period of thevoltage control type switching device 25 is extended, and a largecurrent flowing through the primary winding 111 causes the voltagebetween the output terminals 117 and 118 to be maintained at the certainvalue. Conversely, in case of a light load such as a standby state, theconduction period of the voltage control type switching device 25 isshortened, and a decrease in a current flowing through the primarywinding 111 causes the voltage between the output terminals 117 and 118to be maintained at the certain value. It is to be noted that in the RCCmethod, a switching frequency increases with the shortening of theconduction period of the voltage control type switching device 25.

FIG. 20 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current Io and a power supply output voltage Vo ofthe conventional switching power supply apparatus 200, and a draincurrent Ids and a gate voltage Vgs of the voltage control type switchingdevice 25. As stated above, the drain current Ids of the voltage controltype switching device 25 varies depending on the load connected betweenthe output terminals 117 and 118. Hereafter, in the presentSpecification, the drain current Ids flowing through the voltage controltype switching device 25 is defined as a load current.

A rated load state is, for example, a state in which a television is on,and a state in which the largest amount of current flows within a normaloperational range. Furthermore, a standby state is, for instance, astate of light load in which the television is off and a remote controloperation is on standby, and a state in which a load is light. A loadchange state is a state in a transition period from the rated load stateto the standby state.

In the rated load state, because a large amount of the power supplyoutput current Io, which is the current outputted by the switching powersupply apparatus 200, flows, the power supply output voltage Vo, whichis the voltage between the output terminals 117 and 118, is low. Whenthe power supply output voltage Vo is low, the driving circuit 108widens a pulse width of the gate voltage Vgs of the voltage control typeswitching device 25 to increase the drain current Ids flowing throughthe voltage control type switching device 25.

Next, in the load change state, because the load is gradually reduced,the power supply output current Io decreases, and accordingly the powersupply output voltage Vo increases. When the power supply output voltageVo increases, the driving circuit 108 gradually narrows the pulse widthof the gate voltage Vgs to suppress the drain current Ids.

In the standby state, the power supply output current Io furtherdecreases, and the power supply output voltage Vo increases. When thepower supply output voltage Vo is high, the pulse width of the gatevoltage Vgs is further narrowed, and the drain current Ids is furthersuppressed.

In the above-mentioned switching power supply apparatus 200, a powerloss occurs mainly in the voltage control type switching device 25. TheMOSFET is usually used for the voltage control type switching device 25.Generally, although a bipolar transistor causes a large switching losswhen switching from a conduction state to a cutoff state, the MOSFEThaving a fast switching speed causes a small switching loss. On theother hand, unlike the bipolar transistor, the MOSFET having largeconduction resistance causes a considerable conduction loss. Thus, whena large current flows, the conduction loss increases. Accordingly, agate voltage of the MOSFET is set high to lower the conductionresistance, so that the conduction loss is reduced.

Moreover, a device which has been proposed in recent years switchesbetween the following two operation modes. In one operation mode, thedevice operates as a MOSFET favorable to a high frequency and a lowcurrent in case of a light load such as a standby mode; and, in theother operation mode, the device operates as an insulated gate bipolartransistor (IGBT) favorable to a low frequency and a large current incase of a heavy load (for example, see Patent Reference 1: JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-115871). Because,when the large current flows, the device operates as the IGBT to furtherlower the conduction resistance, it is possible to comprehensivelyreduce both the switching and conduction losses caused in a case rangingfrom the light load to the heavy load.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the above-mentioned switching power supply apparatus gate voltage ofthe MOSFET is set high to lower the conduction resistance, so that theconduction loss is reduced.

Moreover, a device which has been proposed in recent years switchesbetween the following two operation modes. In one operation mode, thedevice operates as a MOSFET favorable to a high frequency and a lowcurrent in case of a light load such as a standby mode; and, in theother operation mode, the device operates as an insulated gate bipolartransistor (IGBT) favorable to a low frequency and a large current incase of a heavy load (for example, see Patent Reference 1: JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2007-115871). Because,when the large current flows, the device operates as the IGBT to furtherlower the conduction resistance, it is possible to comprehensivelyreduce both the switching and conduction losses caused in a case rangingfrom the light load to the heavy load.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In the above-mentioned switching power supply apparatus 200, however,the driving circuit 108 also causes a considerable loss. The loss causedby the driving circuit 108 includes a driving loss caused in driving thevoltage control type switching device 25. The driving loss is calculatedwith the following equation. Here, P is a power loss [W], Qg an amountof gate charge necessary for driving a voltage control type switchingdevice [C], Vgs a gate voltage [V], and f a drive frequency [Hz].

P=Qg×Vgs×f  (Equation 1)

Equation 1 indicates that a loss (power consumption, heating value)caused by a driving circuit increases with the larger the amount of gatecharge Qg, the output gate voltage Vgs, and the drive frequency f. Inaddition, because the amount of gate charge Qg increases with the highergate voltage Vgs, the loss caused by the driving circuit 108 is said tolargely depend on the gate voltage Vgs.

In other words, driving a MOSFET at a high gate voltage decreases a losscaused by the MOSFET on the one hand, but at the same time increases theloss caused by the driving circuit 108. Especially, because a frequencybecomes high in the switching power supply apparatus 200 employing theRCC method in case of a light load, it becomes difficult to reduce powerconsumption of the switching power supply apparatus 200 at a time whenthe switching power supply apparatus 200 is standby.

It is to be noted that because even a recently proposed device whichcombines MOSFET and IGBT operations is driven at a high gate voltage tomake full use of a current capability in the IGBT operation, it isdifficult to reduce power consumption at a time of standby likewise. Thecurrent capability is the maximum current value of a device at a gatevoltage.

Furthermore, driving the voltage control type switching device 25 at ahigh gate voltage may cause the voltage control type switching device 25to break down at the occurrence of abnormality such as a short load. Thefollowing describes the reason why the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 breaks down. The driving at the high gate voltage increasesthe current capability of the voltage control type switching device 25,and the short load and the like cause a large current to flow rightafter the voltage control type switching device 25 is turned on. In manyswitching power supply apparatuses, however, right after the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 is turned on, a blanking period inwhich an overcurrent protection function is disabled within apredetermined time is set aside so as to prevent false detection ofovercurrent protection. Accordingly, the large current flows until theovercurrent protection function operates, and surge voltages and noiseoccurring when the voltage control type switching device 25 is turnedoff may cause device breakdown and false operation of other electronicdevices. Especially, in a switching device such as the IGBT, a largecurrent may cause a parasitic thyristor to operate, and a latchup maylead to the breakdown because the switching device cannot be turned off.

The objective of the present invention is to minimize losses in anentire switching power supply apparatus including a driving loss causedby a driving circuit and a conduction loss caused by a voltage controltype switching device. In addition, the other objective of the presentinvention is to prevent a power switching device from breaking down dueto abnormality such as a short load.

In order to achieve the above objective, a driving circuit according tothe present invention is a driving circuit which drives a powerswitching device in a switching power supply apparatus and includes: ageneration unit configured to generate a driving signal for turning onand off the power switching device, the driving signal having plurallevels of voltage at which the power switching device is turned on; anda switching control unit configured to switch between the plural levelsof voltage at which the power switching device is turned on, dependingon a status of the power switching device.

Accordingly, switching between the plural levels of voltage at which thepower switching device is turned on suppresses driving and conductionlosses.

Furthermore, the switching control unit may switch between the plurallevels of voltage so that voltage increases with a higher load currentflowing through the power switching device.

As a result, when the load current is small, the driving loss can bereduced. Moreover, when the load current is large, the conduction losscan be reduced.

Moreover, the plural levels of voltage may include a first voltage and asecond voltage that is lower than the first voltage; the generation unitmay include a first driver which generates the first voltage and asecond driver which generates the second voltage; and the switchingcontrol unit may control the first and second drivers so that the seconddriver generates, as the driving signal for turning on the powerswitching device, a pulse having the second voltage, when the loadcurrent is equal to or smaller than a first threshold, and to controlthe first and second drivers so that the first driver generates, as thedriving signal for turning on the power switching device, a pulse havingthe first voltage, when the load current is larger than the firstthreshold.

Consequently, when the load current is equal to or smaller than thethreshold, the driving loss can be reduced. Moreover, when the loadcurrent is larger than the threshold, the conduction loss can bereduced.

Moreover, the generation unit may further include a current limitingunit configured to limit a power supply current supplied to at least oneof the first driver and the second driver.

Accordingly, rising an edge of at least one of the pulse having thefirst voltage generated by the first driver and the pulse having thesecond voltage generated by the second driver becomes mildly-sloped.Thus, because a high-frequency component can be reduced, noise occurredin the driving circuit can be suppressed.

Furthermore, the driving circuit may include: an overcurrent protectioncircuit which detects whether or not the load current exceeds a secondthreshold that is larger than the first threshold and indicates anovercurrent reference, and suspends the driving circuit when theovercurrent protection circuit has detected that the load currentexceeds the second threshold; and a disable circuit which disables thefirst driver for a time period corresponding to a time period from whenan overcurrent is detected until when the power switching device issuspended.

As a result, the power switching device avoids breaking down due tolatchup caused when the overcurrent occurs.

Moreover, the switching control unit may generate a first control pulsesignal for enabling an output of the first driver when the load currentis larger than the first threshold; the second driver may generate thepulse having the second voltage according to a second control pulsesignal indicating a time period in which the power switching device isturned on and a time period in which the power switching device isturned off; and the disable circuit may include a delay circuit whichdelays the second control pulse signal by a predetermined time, and agate circuit which outputs, to the first driver, a logical AND betweenthe delayed second control pulse signal and the first control pulsesignal.

Consequently, because only the second voltage generated by the seconddriver is outputted and the first voltage generated by the first driveris not outputted in a predetermined time period, a large current thatflows at occurrence of abnormality such as a load short can be limited.That is to say, the breakdown of the power switching device at theoccurrence of abnormality can be prevented. In particular, a powerswitching device having a parasitic thyristor structure such as an IGBTprevents the latchup, thereby avoiding the breakdown in an effectivemanner.

Furthermore, the switching control unit may control the second driver sothat the second driver generates, as the driving signal for turning onthe power switching device, the pulse having the second voltage, whenthe load current is equal to or smaller than the first threshold, and tocontrol the first and second drivers so that the first driver generates,as the driving signal for turning on the power switching device, atwo-step pulse which rises to the second voltage and further to thefirst voltage, when the load current is larger than the first threshold.

Accordingly, because a voltage of the driving signal is always thesecond voltage right after the first rise of the two-step pulse occurs,in comparison to the case in which a voltage rises to the first voltagein one step when the driving signal is on, noise generation at a timewhen the driving signal is switched from off to on can be reduced.Furthermore, in the case where the load current is measured at theprimary side, it is possible to perform more practical control such asdetecting that the load current which gradually increases after thepower switching device is turned on exceeds the threshold and switchingthe voltage of the driving signal.

Moreover, the switching control unit may generate a first control pulsesignal for enabling an output of the first driver when the load currentis larger than the first threshold; the first driver may include a firsttransistor having a source to which the first voltage is applied and agate to which a pulse signal of a logical AND between the first controlpulse signal and a second control pulse signal is applied; the seconddriver includes a second transistor having a source to which the secondvoltage is applied and a gate to which the second control pulse signalindicating a time period in which the power switching device is turnedon and a time period in which the power switching device is turned off;the generation unit may further include: a reverse-flow prevention diodewhich prevents reverse flow of a current, the reverse-flow preventiondiode being connected between a drain of the first transistor and adrain of the second transistor; and a third transistor which turns onand off the power switching device in a complementary manner with thesecond transistor; and the drain of the first transistor, a cathode ofthe reverse-flow prevention diode, and a drain of the third transistorare connected to each other.

As a result, the driving circuit can be simply configured using thetransistor.

Furthermore, a driving method according to the present invention is adriving method for driving a power switching device in a switching powersupply apparatus, the driving method includes: comparing a load currentflowing through the power switching device and a threshold; outputting,as an ON signal, a pulse having a first voltage at which the powerswitching device is turned on to the power switching device, when theload current is larger than the threshold; and outputting, as an ONsignal, a pulse having a second voltage that is lower than the firstvoltage and at which the power switching device is turned on to thepower switching device, when the load current is equal to or smallerthan the threshold.

Moreover, a switching power supply apparatus according to the presentinvention is a switching power supply apparatus which includes: a diodebridge which rectifies an inputted alternating current signal; a powerswitching device which switches rectified voltage; a driving circuitwhich drives the power switching device; a transformer which transformsvoltage generated by driving the power switching device into differentvoltage; and a rectifying and smoothing circuit which rectifies andsmoothes the transformed voltage and outputs the rectified and smoothedvoltage, wherein the driving circuit includes: a generation unitconfigured to generate a driving signal for turning on and off the powerswitching device, the driving signal having plural levels of voltage atwhich the power switching device is turned on; and a switching controlunit configured to switch between the plural levels of voltage at whichthe power switching device is turned on, depending on a status of thepower switching device.

Furthermore, the switching device may be a unipolar transistor.

The conduction resistance of the unipolar transistor has a feature ofdepending more on a gate voltage with a higher load current flowingthrough the unipolar transistor. That is to say, when the load currentis small at the light load, the conduction resistance of the unipolartransistor does not increase with the smaller gate voltage. Thus,because the voltage of the driving signal is switched based on the loadcurrent flowing through the unipolar transistor, the conduction anddriving losses can be suppressed.

Moreover, the switching device may be a transistor having a function toswitch between a unipolar operation and a bipolar operation according toa load current flowing through the switching device.

Consequently, the conduction loss can be reduced by performing a bipolaroperation and driving the power switching device at a high gate voltagewhen a large current flows, and the driving loss can be reduced byperforming a unipolar operation and driving the switching device at alow gate voltage at the light load. Thus, the main losses in theswitching power supply apparatus such as the switching, conduction, anddriving losses can be reduced in a case ranging from the light load tothe heavy load.

Furthermore, the switching power supply apparatus may further include: ameasuring unit configured to measure a current outputted from therectifying and smoothing circuit; and a conversion unit configured toconvert the measured current into a load current flowing through thepower switching device, wherein the switching control unit is configuredto switch between the plural levels of voltage at which the powerswitching device is turned on, according to the converted load current.

The driving circuit according to the present invention can minimize thelosses in the entire switching power supply apparatus including thedriving loss caused by the driving circuit and the conduction losscaused by the voltage control type switching device. In addition, thedriving circuit can prevent the power switching device from breakingdown at the time of startup or at the occurrence of abnormality such asthe short load.

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT TECHNICAL BACKGROUND TO THIS APPLICATION

The disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2007-289501 filed onNov. 7, 2007 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2008-260973 filed onOct. 7, 2008 including specifications, drawings and claims isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description thereof taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings that illustrate a specificembodiment of the invention. In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a switching powersupply apparatus including a driving circuit according to an embodiment1;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the driving circuit,a voltage control type switching device, and a feedback circuitaccording to the embodiment 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration shownin FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a load connectedto the switching power supply apparatus and a sum of main losses such asdriving, conduction, and switching losses;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an amount of each loss in a standbystate and a rated load state as shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating V-I characteristics of a power MOSFET;

FIG. 7 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current and a power supply output voltage of theswitching power supply apparatus, and a drain current and a gate voltageof the voltage control type switching device according to the embodiment1;

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating an equivalent circuit includedin a device which combines a MOSFET and an IGBT;

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating V-I characteristics of the device whichcombines the MOSFET and the IGBT;

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating in detail the configuration which isshown in FIG. 2 and in which a current detector is included instead ofthe feedback circuit;

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating in detail the configuration which isshown in FIG. 3 and in which the current detector is included instead ofthe feedback circuit;

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current and a power supply output voltage of aswitching power supply apparatus including a driving circuit, and adrain current and agate voltage of a voltage control type switchingdevice according to an embodiment 2;

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driving circuit,a voltage control type switching device, and a current detectoraccording to an embodiment 3;

FIG. 14 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the drivingcircuit according to the embodiment 3 in a normal state and anovercurrent state;

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driving circuit,a voltage control type switching device, and a feedback circuitaccording to an embodiment 4;

FIG. 16 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current and a power supply output voltage of aswitching power supply apparatus, and a drain current and a gate voltageof a voltage control type switching device according to the embodiment4;

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating the configuration which is shown inFIG. 15 and in which a current detector is included instead of thefeedback circuit of the embodiment 4;

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of a driving voltage switching circuitincluded in a driving circuit according to an embodiment 5;

FIG. 19 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventionalconfiguration of a switching power supply apparatus; and

FIG. 20 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current and a power supply output voltage of theconventional switching power supply apparatus, and a drain current and agate voltage of a voltage control type switching device.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT(S)

The following will describe each embodiment of the present inventionwith reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

A driving circuit according to an embodiment 1 is a driving circuitwhich drives a power switching device in a switching power supplyapparatus, and includes: a generation unit configured to generate adriving signal for turning on and off the power switching device, thedriving signal having plural levels of voltage at which the powerswitching device is turned on; and a switching control unit configuredto switch between the plural levels of voltage at which the powerswitching device is turned on, depending on a status of the powerswitching device.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a switching powersupply apparatus 100 including a driving circuit 20 according to theembodiment 1.

The switching power supply apparatus 100 according to employs a RCCmethod, and includes a primary side rectifying and smoothing circuit101, a switching circuit 102, a transformer 103, a secondary siderectifying and smoothing circuit 104, and a feedback circuit 119.

The primary side rectifying and smoothing circuit 101 includes a diodebridge 109 and an input capacitor 110. In the primary side rectifyingand smoothing circuit 101, the diode bridge 109 rectifies an inputtedalternating current signal, and the input capacitor 110 smoothes therectified alternating current signal. The primary side rectifying andsmoothing circuit 101 then outputs the smoothed alternating currentsignal to the switching circuit 102.

The switching circuit 102 causes a voltage control type switching device25 to switch at high speed, and outputs an alternating current having ahigh frequency to the transformer 103. Specifically, the switchingcircuit 102 includes the driving circuit 20, an external resistor 121 ofthe driving circuit 20, a resonant capacitor 122, and the voltagecontrol type switching device 25.

When the switching power supply apparatus 100 starts up, power issupplied via the external resistor 121 to the driving circuit 20. Next,the driving circuit 20 applies a voltage to a gate of the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 to cause the voltage control typeswitching device 25 to perform a switching operation. It is to be notedthat except when the switching power supply apparatus 100 starts up, thedriving circuit 20 operates with power supplied from an auxiliarywinding 120 included in the transformer 103.

The driving circuit 20 includes the generation unit and the switchingcontrol unit. The switching control unit is configured to switch betweenthe plural levels of voltage so that the voltage rises with the increasein the load current flowing through the power switching device. Theplural levels of voltage include a first voltage and a second voltagethat is lower than the first voltage. The generation unit includes afirst driver which generates the first voltage and a second driver whichgenerates the second voltage. The switching control unit is configuredto control the first and second drivers so that the second drivergenerates, as the driving signal for turning on the power switchingdevice, a pulse having the second voltage, when the load current isequal to or smaller than a first threshold, and to control the first andsecond drivers so that either the first driver or the first and seconddrivers generate, as the driving signal for turning on the powerswitching device, a pulse having the first voltage, when the loadcurrent is larger than the first threshold.

The transformer 103 transmits energy from a primary side to a secondaryside. Specifically, the transformer 103 includes a primary winding 111,a secondary winding 112, and an auxiliary winding 120. When the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 is turned on, the energy accumulated inthe primary winding 111 is transmitted to the secondary winding 112.Subsequently, when a secondary-side current flowing through thesecondary winding 112 gradually decreases to zero, a resonant operationis started which is determined by inductance of the primary winding 111included in the transformer 103 and capacitance of the resonantcapacitor 122 placed between a drain and a source of the voltage controltype switching device 25. The driving circuit 20 detects theabove-mentioned resonant operation, and applies a next driving signal132 to the voltage control type switching device 25.

The alternating current signal generated by the above-mentionedswitching operation is transmitted via the secondary winding 112 of thetransformer 103 to the secondary side rectifying and smoothing circuit104.

The secondary side rectifying and smoothing circuit 104 includes arectifying diode 113, a choke coil 114, a first output capacitor 115,and a second output capacitor 116. In the secondary side rectifying andsmoothing circuit 104, the rectifying diode 113 rectifies thealternating current signal transmitted to the secondary winding 112, andthe choke coil 114 and the first and second output capacitors 115 and116 smooth the rectified alternating current signal. The secondary siderectifying and smoothing circuit 104 then outputs the smoothedalternating current signal as an output of the switching power supplyapparatus 100.

The feedback circuit 119 feeds back a feedback signal 133 to the drivingcircuit 20 so that a current value outputted by the secondary siderectifying and smoothing circuit 104, that is, an output voltage is keptconstant which varies depending on the power supply output current Io ofthe switching power supply apparatus 100. For instance, the drivingcircuit 20 controls the load current flowing through the voltage controltype switching device 25 depending on a status of the secondary side towhich the feedback signal 133 indicating a current value is fed back.The feedback circuit 119 includes, for instance, a photocoupler, andfeeds back the feedback signal 133 via the photocoupler.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of the driving circuit20, the voltage control type switching device 25, and the feedbackcircuit 119 according to the embodiment 1. The driving circuit 20 in thefigure is a circuit which generates the driving signal 132 that is asignal for driving the voltage control type switching device 25, andoutputs the generated driving signal 132. The driving signal 132 is asignal for turning on and off the voltage control type switching device25. The driving circuit 20 includes a control circuit 21, a load currentdetection circuit 27, and a driving voltage switching circuit 22.

The control circuit 21 outputs, to the driving voltage switching circuit22, a control signal 134 that is a signal indicating a period in whichthe voltage control type switching device 25 is turned on and a periodin which the voltage control type switching device 25 is turned off.Specifically, the control circuit 21 detects the resonant operationdetermined by the inductance of the primary winding 111 included in thetransformer 103 and the capacitance of the resonant capacitor 122, andturns on the control signal 134. In addition, the control circuit 21turns off the control signal 134, in the case where any one of thefollowing cases occurs: a case where the load current flowing throughthe voltage control type switching device 25 reaches a current valuedetermined by the feedback signal 133; a case where turn-on time of thevoltage control type switching device 25 reaches the maximum turn-ontime set by the control circuit 21; and a case where a current flowingthrough the voltage control type switching device 25 reaches apredetermined overcurrent protection reference voltage VLIMIT. Theovercurrent protection reference voltage VLIMIT is, for instance,specified by the characteristics of the voltage control type switchingdevice 25.

It is to be noted that though not specifically illustrated, the feedbacksignal 133 is inputted to the control circuit 21, and the controlcircuit 21 has a function to adjust the load current flowing through thevoltage control type switching device 25 according to the inputtedfeedback signal 133.

The load current detection circuit 27 includes, for instance, acomparator, judges whether or not the load current determined by thefeedback signal 133 exceeds a predetermined threshold, and outputs, tothe driving voltage switching circuit 22, a load current detectionsignal 135 indicating whether or not the load current exceeds thepredetermined threshold. When it is judged that the load current exceedsthe predetermined threshold, the load current detection circuit 27, forexample, sets the load current detection signal 135 high. When it isjudged that the load current does not exceed the predeterminedthreshold, the load current detection circuit 27, for example, sets theload current detection signal 135 low.

The driving voltage switching circuit 22 generates the driving signal132 having plural levels of voltage at which the voltage control typeswitching device 25 is turned on, and applies the driving signal 132 tothe gate of the voltage control type switching device 25, the drivingsignal 132 being a signal for turning on and off the voltage controltype switching device 25. Specifically, when the control signal 134indicates a period in which the voltage control type switching device 25is turned on, the driving voltage switching circuit 22 applies, to thegate of the voltage control type switching device 25, the driving signal132 for turning on the voltage control type switching device 25. Thevoltage of the driving signal 132 is switched according to the loadcurrent detection signal 135 outputted by the load current detectioncircuit 27.

Next, the detailed configuration of the driving voltage switchingcircuit 22 will be described.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration shownin FIG. 2.

The driving voltage switching circuit 22 includes a gate voltageswitching circuit 2, a high voltage driver 3, a low voltage driver 4, afirst switch SW1, and a second switch SW2. Here, the high voltage driver3 and the low voltage driver 4 function as the generation unitconfigured to generate the driving signal having the plural levels ofvoltage at which the voltage control type switching device 25 is turnedon. In addition, the gate voltage switching circuit 2, the first switchSW1, and the second switch SW2 function as the switching control unitconfigured to switch the plural levels of voltage at which the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 is turned on, depending on the statusof the voltage control type switching device 25. As for a specificconfiguration, a circuit in which the first switch SW1 isseries-connected to the subsequent stage of the high voltage driver 3and a circuit in which the second switch SW2 is series-connected to thesubsequent stage of the low voltage driver 4 are parallel-connected.

The gate voltage switching circuit 2 turns on one of the first switchSW1 and the second switch SW2, and turns off the other one, according tothe load current detection signal 135. For instance, when the loadcurrent detection signal 135 is set high, the gate voltage switchingcircuit 2 turns on the first switch SW1, and turns off the second switchSW2. Moreover, when the load current detection signal 135 is set low,the gate voltage switching circuit 2 turns off the first switch SW1, andturns on the second switch SW2. Accordingly, the driving voltageswitching circuit 22 applies, to the voltage control type switchingdevice 25, a voltage generated by the high voltage driver 3 or a voltagegenerated by the low voltage driver 4. Here, a power supply voltage ofthe high voltage driver 3 is Vdd1, and a power supply voltage of the lowvoltage driver 4 is Vdd2 (Vdd1>Vdd2).

As stated above, the plural levels of voltage include the Vdd1 and theVdd2 that is lower than the Vdd1. The generation unit includes the highvoltage driver 3 which generates the Vdd1 and the low voltage driver 4which generates the Vdd2. The switching control unit is configured tocontrol the high voltage driver 3 and the low voltage driver 4 so thatthe low voltage driver 4 generates, as the driving signal 132 forturning on the voltage control type switching device 25, a pulse havingthe Vdd2, when the load current flowing through the voltage control typeswitching device 25 is equal to or smaller than a predeterminedthreshold Idsth, and to control the high voltage driver 3 and the lowvoltage driver 4 so that the high voltage driver 3 generates as thedriving signal 132 for turning on the voltage control type switchingdevice 25, a pulse having the Vdd1, when the load current is larger thanthe threshold Idsth. Accordingly, when the load current is equal to orsmaller than the threshold Idsth, the driving loss can be reduced.Moreover, when the load current is larger than the threshold Idsth, theconduction loss can be reduced.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a load connectedto the switching power supply apparatus 100 and a sum (hereafter,referred to as an overall loss) of main losses such as driving,conduction, and switching losses. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating anamount of each loss in a standby state and a rated load state as shownin FIG. 4. Here, each of the driving, conduction, and switching losseswill be described.

The driving loss is the loss indicated by Equation 1, indicates a powerloss caused by the consumption of power by a gate capacitor of thevoltage control type switching device 25, and largely depends on a gatevoltage and a switching frequency. Accordingly, in the case where, atthe same gate voltage, a driving loss in the standby state is comparedto a driving loss in the rated load state, the driving loss is large inthe standby state in which the switching frequency is high. Under thesame condition, in the case where different gate voltages are compared,a driving loss is large at the Vdd1 having a high gate voltage level.

The conduction loss indicates a power loss in a time period in which thevoltage control type switching device 25 is conductive, and largelydepends on conduction resistance, the power loss being expressed by aproduct of a flowing current and the conduction resistance. Here,conduction resistance occurring in a power MOSFET will be described inthe case where the voltage control type switching device 25 is the powerMOSFET.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating V-I characteristics of the powerMOSFET.

The figure illustrates the V-I characteristics when a gate voltage Vgshas two different voltage levels, Vdd1 and Vdd2. Idsth is a draincurrent value at which gate voltage dependence of the power MOSFETbegins to increase.

As is obvious from the figure, a current capability of the power MOSFETincreases with the rise in the gate voltage Vgs. Thus, setting the gatevoltage Vgs high suppresses the conduction resistance to reduce theconduction loss. In a region where a drain current Ids is small,however, because the conduction resistance does not largely depend onthe gate voltage Vgs, the conduction loss caused by the gate voltage Vgshaving the Vdd1 is equal to the conduction loss caused by the gatevoltage Vgs having the Vdd2.

The switching loss is a power loss which occurs at a moment when thevoltage control type switching device 25 is turned on or off. Thus, aloss is large in the standby state in which the switching frequency ishigh.

As stated above, the conduction loss is in a trade-off relationship withthe driving loss and the switching loss. However, the proportion of theconduction loss in the rated load state is dominant, and reducing theconduction loss leads to the reduction of the overall loss.

In response, a threshold of the load current detected by the loadcurrent detection circuit 27 is set to the Idsth. The load currentdetection circuit 27 judges whether or not the drain current Ids islarger than the threshold Idsth. In the case where the drain current Idsis judged to be larger than the threshold Idsth, the load currentdetection signal 135 is set high. In the case where the drain currentIds is judged to be equal to or smaller than the threshold Idsth, theload current detection signal 135 is set low. For example, in the casewhere the load current detection circuit 27 includes the comparator andthe like, compares a reference value and the load current, and outputsthe load current detection signal 135, the load current detectioncircuit 27 reads the drain current value at which the gate voltagedependence begins to increase, based on the V-I characteristics of thevoltage control type switching device 25, and sets the drain currentvalue to the threshold Idsth.

It is to be noted that the gate voltage dependence here denotes that thegate voltage varies the conduction resistance (=drain voltage/draincurrent) of the voltage control type switching device 25, and that astate in which the gate voltage dependence begins to increase is thatwhen the drain current is increased, the channel resistance of thevoltage control type switching device 25 becomes considerable, and adifference in the conduction resistance between the two levels of gatevoltage. Although it has been described that the drain current value atwhich the gate voltage dependence of the power MOSFET begins to increaseis set as the threshold of the comparator included in the load currentdetection circuit 27, in consideration of the respective proportions ofthe driving loss and the conduction loss, a predetermined value which isthe difference in the conduction resistance between the two levels ofgate voltage, for instance, a load current value at which conductionresistance at a high gate voltage is lower than conduction resistance ata low gate voltage by 5% may be set as the threshold of the comparatorincluded in the load current detection circuit 27.

For this reason, even when the gate voltage is reduced at the lightload, the driving loss of the driving circuit can be reduced withoutincreasing the conduction loss. On the other hand, because theconduction loss can be reduced by setting the gate voltage high at theheavy load, the losses in the entire switching power supply apparatusincluding the driving loss caused by the driving circuit and theconduction loss caused by the voltage control type switching device canbe minimized in a case ranging from the light load to the heavy load.

As mentioned above, reduction in the overall loss in the case rangingfrom the light load to the heavy load can be realized by switching thegate voltage of the voltage control type switching device 25 dependingon a load. In particular, a very light load, that is, the reduction inthe overall loss can significantly contribute to the standby powerreduction of home electronic appliances.

Next, the operation of the switching power supply apparatus 100including the above-mentioned driving circuit 20 will be described.

FIG. 7 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current Io and a power supply output voltage Vo ofthe switching power supply apparatus 100 and a drain current Ids and agate voltage Vgs of the voltage control type switching device 25according to the embodiment 1.

In the rated load state, a large amount of the power supply outputcurrent Io, which is a current outputted by the switching power supplyapparatus 100, flows. At this time, based on the feedback signal 133,the load current detection circuit 27 judges whether or not a peakcurrent of the drain current Ids flowing through the voltage controltype switching device 25 is larger than threshold Idsth. When the peakcurrent is judged to be larger than the threshold Idsth, the loadcurrent detection circuit 27 outputs, for instance, the load currentdetection signal 135 that is set high.

When the load current detection signal 135 is set high, the gate voltageswitching circuit 2 turns on the first switch SW1 connected to the highvoltage driver 3, and turns off the second switch SW2. Accordingly, thedriving circuit 20 outputs, as the driving signal 132, a pulse signal ofthe Vdd1 having the high gate voltage level.

Next, in the load change state which is a period of transition from therated load state to the standby state, because the load is graduallylightened, the power supply output current Io decreases, and accordinglythe power supply output voltage Vo increases. When the power supplyoutput voltage Vo increases, the driving circuit 21 gradually narrowsthe pulse width of the control signal 134 to vary the pulse width of thedriving signal 132 in the same manner and to suppress the drain currentIds. Furthermore, because the peak current of the drain current Ids islarger than the threshold Idsth, the gate voltage switching circuit 2keeps conducting the first switch SW1. Accordingly, the driving circuit20 outputs, as the driving signal 132, the pulse signal of the Vdd1having the high gate voltage level.

In the standby state, the power supply output current Io furtherdecreases, and the power supply output voltage Vo increases. When thepower supply output voltage Vo is high, the control circuit 21 furthernarrows the pulse width of the control signal 134 to further suppressthe peak current of the drain current Ids. In the case where the draincurrent Ids is judged to be equal to or smaller than the thresholdIdsth, the load current detection circuit 27 outputs, for instance, theload current detection signal 135 that is set low. In the case where theload current detection signal 135 is set low, the gate voltage switchingcircuit 2 turns off the first switch SW1, and turns on the second switchSW2. Accordingly, the driving circuit 20 outputs, as the driving signal132, a pulse signal of the Vdd2 having the high gate voltage level.

As stated above, the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 1generates, as the driving signal 132 for turning on the voltage controltype switching device 25, the pulse having the Vdd2, when the loadcurrent flowing through the voltage control type switching device 25 isequal to or smaller than the predetermined threshold; and generates, asthe driving signal 132 for turning on the voltage control type switchingdevice 25, a pulse having the Vdd1 which is higher in voltage than theVdd2, when the load current is larger than the predetermined threshold.

Thus, the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment can reduce thedriving loss when the load current is equal to or smaller than thepredetermined threshold. In addition, the driving circuit 20 accordingto the embodiment 1 can reduce the conduction loss when the load currentis larger than the predetermined threshold.

It is to be noted that although the case where the power MOSFET as shownin FIG. 6 is connected, as the voltage control type switching device 25,to the driving circuit 20 has been described in the embodiment 1, thepresent invention is not limited to this. For example, in stead of thepower MOSFET, a device which combines a MOSFET for a unipolar operationand an IGBT for a bipolar operation may be connected, as the voltagecontrol type switching device 25, to the driving circuit 20.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating an equivalent circuit includedin a device which is described in the Patent Reference 1 and combines aMOSFET and an IGBT. An equivalent circuit 80 is a circuit which has afunction to switch between a unipolar operation and a bipolar operation.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating V-I characteristics of the device whichcombines the MOSFET and the IGBT.

The device which combines the MOSFET and the IGBT operates a unipolartransistor 81 that swiftly performs a switching operation in a standbystate where an amount of load current is small, and operates a bipolartransistor 83 that allows a large current to flow in a rated load statewhere an amount of load current is large. In comparison with the V-Icharacteristics of the commonly-used power MOSFET shown in FIG. 6,because conduction resistance in the rated load state can be reducedmore, a conduction loss can be reduced. In this case, a threshold whichthe load current detection circuit 27 uses as a reference of comparisonis set to, for example, a drain current at which a MOSFET operation isswitched to an IGBT operation.

Moreover, the embodiment 1 is not limited to FIG. 2. Although thedriving circuit which switches between the two gate voltages has beendescribed in the embodiment 1, the driving circuit may switch betweenmore than two gate voltages.

Furthermore, the switching power supply apparatus 100 may include acurrent detector which measures a load current value, for example,instead of the feedback circuit 119, and the load current detectioncircuit 27 may output the load current detection signal 135 according tothe measured load current value. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating indetail the configuration which is shown in FIG. 2 and in which a currentdetector 26 is included instead of the feedback circuit 119. FIG. 11 isa block diagram illustrating in detail the configuration which is shownin FIG. 3 and in which the current detector 26 is included instead ofthe feedback circuit 119. The current detector 26 is connected to adrain of the voltage control type switching device 25, directly measuresa load current value, and outputs, to the load current detection circuit27, the measured load current value as a load current signal 141. Theload current detection circuit 27 compares the outputted load currentvalue and the threshold Idsth, and outputs the load current detectionsignal 135 to the gate voltage switching circuit 2.

In addition, the driving circuit 20 may detect a change in the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 or other parts in the switching powersupply apparatus 100, and switches a gate voltage. For instance, achange in the voltage induced at the auxiliary winding 120 shown in FIG.1 may be used.

In consideration of temperature characteristics of and variations inmanufacturing the voltage control type switching device 25, a thresholdat which a gate voltage that is a voltage for driving the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 is switched may be set. Hereafter, inthe present Specification, a driving voltage is synonymous with a gatevoltage.

When operation states in which a switching power supply apparatus isused for home electronics appliances are, for instance, only two statesthat are the standby state and the rated load state shown in FIG. 7,timing at which the voltage of the driving signal 132 is switched fromthe Vdd2 to the Vdd1 hardly affects a power supply efficiency and thelike. Thus, in the case where a peak value of a drain current is set toIdsth2 in the rated load state, a threshold may be either a currentvalue flowing through the voltage control type switching device 25 whichis larger than the threshold Idsth or a current value which is smallerthan the Idsth2. That is to say, the plural levels of voltage at whichthe power switching device is turned on include the first voltage andthe second voltage that is lower than the first voltage. The generationunit includes the first driver which generates the first voltage and thesecond driver which generates the second voltage. The switching controlunit is configured to control the first and second drivers so that thefirst driver generates, as the driving signal for turning on the powerswitching device, the pulse having the first voltage, when the loadcurrent flowing through the power switching device is larger than thefirst threshold, and to control the first and second drivers so that thesecond driver generates, as the driving signal for turning on the powerswitching device, the pulse having the second voltage, when the loadcurrent flowing through the power switching device is equal to orsmaller than the second threshold which is smaller than the firstthreshold.

Although the threshold at which the driving circuit 20 switches the gatevoltage is determined based on the gate voltage dependence in theembodiment 1, the load current detection circuit 27 may use, as thethreshold, a drain current corresponding to the intersection of thesolid line (when the gate voltage is the high gate voltage Vdd1) and thedashed line (when the gate voltage is the low gate voltage Vdd2). Thatis to say, it is possible to drive the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 at the low gate voltage Vdd2 until the overall loss when thegate voltage is the Vdd2 exceeds the overall loss when the gate voltageis the Vdd1. In addition, the threshold may be intentionally set high orlow. In consideration of the ratio between the driving loss caused bythe driving circuit 20 and the conduction loss caused by the voltagecontrol type switching device 25, the threshold may be set higher thanthe threshold Idsth. Moreover, the threshold may be adjusted outside sothat the loss in the switching power supply apparatus 100 is reducedoptimally.

Although the switching power supply apparatus 100 employing the RCCmethod as shown in FIG. 1 has been described in the embodiment 1, aswitching power supply apparatus to which the driving circuit 20according to the present invention can be applied is not limited toFIG. 1. For instance, a driving circuit which drives the voltage controltype switching device while controlling a width of onpulse of thevoltage control type switching device in which an inductive load isseries-connected or a peak current may bring about the same advantageouseffect with the present invention.

Embodiment 2

A driving circuit according to an embodiment 2 controls a second driverso that the second driver generates, as a driving signal for turning ona voltage control type switching device, a pulse having a secondvoltage, when a load current is equal to or smaller than a threshold,and controls a first driver which generates a first voltage and thesecond driver which generates the second voltage that is lower than thefirst voltage so that either the first driver or the first and seconddrivers generate, as the driving signal for turning on the voltagecontrol type switching device, a two-stage pulse which rises at thesecond voltage and further at the first voltage.

It is to be noted that because a configuration of the driving circuitaccording to the embodiment 2 is the same as in FIG. 2 and aconfiguration of a switching power supply apparatus including thedriving circuit according to the embodiment 2 is the same as in FIG. 1,the configurations described in the embodiment 1 will not be describedhere again.

Next, an operation of the switching power supply apparatus including thedriving circuit according to the embodiment 2 will be described.

FIG. 12 is a timing diagram illustrating, in each load state, a powersupply output current Io and a power supply output voltage Vo of aswitching power supply apparatus 100 including a driving circuit 20according to the embodiment 2, and a drain current Ids and a gatevoltage Vgs of a voltage control type switching device 25. Hereafter,the difference between the driving circuit 20 according to theembodiment 2 and the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 1will be described in detail.

Based on the feedback signal 133, a load current detection circuit 27according to the embodiment 1 compares the peak current of the draincurrent Ids flowing through the voltage control type switching device 25and the predetermined threshold Idsth, and a gate voltage switchingcircuit 2 selects whether the gate voltage Vgs is the Vdd1 or the Vdd2.In contrast, the load current detection circuit 27 according to theembodiment 2 outputs a load current detection signal 135 so that a gatevoltage Vgs first rises to Vdd2, is maintained at the Vdd2 for a certainperiod, and then rises to Vdd1, when the peak current of a drain currentIds flowing through the voltage control type switching device 25 islarger than threshold Idsth. In the middle of a time period in which adriving signal 132 is on, when the load current detection signal 135 ischanged from low to high, the gate voltage switching circuit 2 turns ona first switch SW1 and turns off a second switch SW2, so as to switchthe gate voltage Vgs from the Vdd2 to the Vdd1. That is to say, thedriving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 2 can set the gatevoltage to the low gate voltage Vdd2 right after the driving signal 132which is on is outputted, and switch from the low gate voltage Vdd2 tothe high gate voltage Vdd1 within a high-level period of one pulse ofthe driving signal 132, as necessary.

Accordingly, right after a control signal 134 rises, a voltage of thedriving signal 132 is always the Vdd2. Because a high-frequencycomponent is reduced in comparison to the embodiment 1 in which the gatevoltage rises to the high gate voltage Vdd1 in one step when the drivingsignal 132 is on, noise generation at a time when the driving signal 132is switched from off to on can be reduced. In addition, as shown inFIGS. 10 and 11, when the current load is measured at the primary side,it is possible to perform more practical control such as detecting thatthe load current which gradually increases after the voltage controltype switching device 25 is turned on exceeds the threshold Idsth andswitching the gate voltage Vgs.

Embodiment 3

In addition to the functions described in the embodiment 2, a drivingcircuit according to an embodiment 3 detects an overcurrent when theovercurrent flows through a voltage control type switching device,stabilizes a gate voltage of a voltage control type switching device toa low gate voltage to limit a current capability of the voltage controltype switching device, and prevents the voltage control type switchingdevice from breaking down due to latchup.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driving circuit50, a voltage control type switching device 25, and a current detector26 according to the embodiment 3. It is to be noted that the sameelements of the driving circuit 20 according to the above-mentionedembodiment 2 are represented by the same reference numerals in thefigure. Thus, the configuration of the driving circuit 20 according tothe embodiment 2 will not be described in the embodiment 3 again.Hereafter, the difference between the driving circuit 50 according tothe embodiment 3 and the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment1 will be described in detail.

In comparison with the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 2shown in FIG. 11, the driving circuit 50 according to the embodiment 3further includes a disable circuit 51 and an overcurrent protectioncircuit 52. The disable circuit 51 disables a high voltage driver 3 fora time period corresponding to a time period from when the overcurrentflowing through the voltage control type switching device 25 is detecteduntil when the driving circuit 50 is suspended. Specifically, thedisable circuit 51 includes a delay circuit 53 and an AND gate 54.

The delay circuit 53 delays a control signal 134 outputted by a controlcircuit 21 by a predetermined delay time Tdelay, and outputs, to the ANDgate 54, the control signal 134 as a delay signal 136. Here, it isnecessary that the predetermined delay time Tdelay is longer than a timefrom when the overcurrent protection circuit 52 detects the overcurrentuntil the driving circuit 50 is suspended.

The AND gate 54 obtains a logical AND between the delay signal 136outputted by the delay circuit 53 and a load current detection signal135 outputted by a load current detection circuit 27, and outputs theobtained logical AND to a gate voltage switching circuit 2. Thus, unlikethe embodiment 2, the gate voltage switching circuit 2 does not switchbetween a first switch SW1 and a second switch SW2 for a time period inwhich the delay signal 136 is low, even in the case where the loadcurrent detection circuit 27 detects that a drain current Ids flowingthrough the voltage control type switching device 25 exceeds thresholdIdsth and the load current detection signal 135 is set high.

The overcurrent protection circuit 52 includes, for instance, acomparator, judges whether or not the drain current Ids which ismeasured by the current detector 26 and flows through the voltagecontrol type switching device 25 exceeds a predetermined threshold Idsocwhich is larger than the threshold Idsth and indicates an overcurrentreference, and outputs, to the control circuit 21, an overcurrentdetection signal 55 which indicates a result of the judgment. Forexample, the overcurrent protection circuit 52 sets the overcurrentdetection signal 55 high in the case where the drain current Ids exceedsthe threshold Idsoc, and sets the overcurrent detection signal 55 low inthe case where the current drain Ids is equal to or smaller than thethreshold Idsoc. The control circuit 21 performs the same control as inthe embodiment 2 in the case where the overcurrent detection signal 55is low. In addition, the control circuit 21 sets the control signal 134low and suspends the driving circuit 50 in the case where theovercurrent detection signal 55 is high. As a result, in the case wherethe overcurrent is detected, the voltage control type switching device25 is turned off.

Next, the operation of the driving circuit 50 according to theembodiment 3 will be described.

FIG. 14 is a timing diagram illustrating operations of the drivingcircuit 50 according to the embodiment 3 in a normal state and anovercurrent state.

Case (a) indicates a drain current Ids and a gate voltage Vgs in thecase where the driving circuit 50 includes the delay circuit 53, andcase (b) indicates a drain current Ids and a gate voltage Vgs in thecase where the driving circuit 50 does not include the delay circuit 53.A delay signal 136 is a signal delayed from a control signal 134 by adelay time Tdelay. Tsd is a time from when the overcurrent protectioncircuit 52 detects the overcurrent until when the control circuit 21sets the control signal 134 low and suspends the driving circuit 50.Idslu is a drain current value at which the voltage control typeswitching device 25 breaks down due to latchup. The normal state is anyof the rated load state, the load change state, and the standby statedescribed in the embodiment 2. The overcurrent state is a state in whicha short circuit occurs and a large current flows at an output side of answitching power supply apparatus 100.

As with the embodiment 2, under the normal state, in the cases (a) and(b), when the control signal 134 is turned on, the driving voltageswitching circuit 22 outputs, the driving signal 132, a pulse of theVdd2 having a high gate voltage. With this, the drain current Idsgradually increases. The delay signal 136 is turned on later by thedelay time Tdelay from the time when the control signal 134 is turnedon. Next, when the drain current Ids exceeds the threshold Idsth,because the gate voltage switching circuit 2 turns on the first switchSW1 and turns off the second switch SW2 in the case where the delaysignal 136 is at a high level, the gate voltage Vgs is the Vdd1.

Under the overcurrent state, the drain current Ids rapidly increases. Atthis time, in the case (a), in the case where the delay signal 136 islow even when the drain current Ids exceeds the threshold Idsth, anoutput of the AND gate 54 is low, and the gate voltage switching circuit2 does not switch between the first switch SW1 and the second switchSW2. Consequently, the driving signal 132 remains the pulse signal ofthe Vdd2 having the high gate voltage level. That is to say, the gatevoltage Vgs is always equal to or smaller than the Vdd2 for the delaytime Tdelay since the control signal 134 has been turned on.

On the other hand, in the case (b), because the driving circuit 50 doesnot include the delay circuit 53, when the drain current Ids exceeds thethreshold Idsth, the gate voltage switching circuit 2 turns on the firstswitch SW1 and turns off the second switch SW2. Thus, the voltage of thedriving signal 132 rises from the Vdd2 to the Vdd1.

Because the maximum value of the drain current Ids increases with therise in the gate voltage Vgs, when the maximum values of the draincurrent Ids under the overcurrent state in the cases (a) and (b) arecompared, the maximum value of the drain current Ids in the case (a) inwhich the gate voltage Vgs is lower is smaller than the maximum value ofthe drain current Ids in the case (b).

Accordingly, for instance, in the case where the Idslu is in between themaximum value of the drain current Ids flowing when the gate voltage Vgsis the Vdd2 and the maximum value of the drain current Ids flowing whenthe gate voltage Vgs is the Vdd1, the following happens. In the case(b), because the drain current Ids further exceeds the Idslu afterexceeding the threshold Idsoc that is a reference indicating theovercurrent, the overcurrent keeps flowing, and the voltage control typeswitching device 25 breaks down due to the latchup. In the case (a),however, the drain current Ids does not exceed the Idslu because thegate voltage Vgs is the Vdd2. Because the driving circuit 50 issuspended when the control signal 134 is low after the passage of a timeTsd since the drain current Ids has exceeded the threshold Idsoc, thevoltage control type switching device 25 does not break down due to thelatchup.

As described above, the driving circuit 50 according to the embodiment 3sets the gate voltage Vgs to the low gate voltage up to the time Tsdfrom when the overcurrent protection circuit 52 detects the overcurrentuntil when the control circuit 21 sets the control signal 134 low, so asto suppress the current capability of the voltage control type switchingdevice 25. As a result, it is possible to limit the large current thatflows at the occurrence of abnormality such as the load short. That isto say, the breakdown of the voltage control type switching devicecaused by the flow of the large current can be prevented. In particular,a switching device having a parasitic thyristor structure such as theIGBT prevents the latchup, thereby avoiding breakdown in an effectivemanner.

The threshold Idsoc that is the reference indicating the overcurrent isa drain current value corresponding to an overcurrent protectionreference voltage VLIMIT or a current value at which a drain currentflowing through the voltage control type switching device 25 isdetermined by a feedback signal from a feedback circuit 119. It is to benoted that the overcurrent protection circuit 52 generally has a delaytime from when the voltage control type switching device 25 is turned onuntil when the voltage control type switching device 25 starts anoperation.

Although the load short is exemplified as an overcurrent protectionoperation, there are same effects for an inrush current at the startupof a power supply switching apparatus.

Embodiment 4

Although a driving circuit according to an embodiment 4 is almost thesame as the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 2, thedriving circuit according to the embodiment 4 differs from the drivingcircuit 20 according to the embodiment 2 in including a current limitingunit configured to limit a power supply current supplied to a highvoltage driver.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a driving circuit60, a voltage control type switching device 25, and a feedback circuit119 according to the embodiment 4. It is to be noted that the sameelements of the driving circuit 20 according to the above-mentionedembodiment 2 are represented by the same reference numerals in thefigure. Thus, the configuration of the driving circuit 20 according tothe embodiment 2 will not be described in the embodiment 3 again.Hereafter, the difference between the driving circuit 60 according tothe embodiment 4 and the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment1 will be described in detail.

In comparison with the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiment 2,the driving circuit 60 according to the embodiment 4 further includes aconstant current circuit 10. The constant current circuit 10 is acircuit which limits the power supply current supplied to a high voltagedriver 3. Accordingly, an edge of a driving signal 132 at a time when avoltage level of the driving signal 132 rises to Vdd1 can be dulled.

FIG. 16 is a timing diagram illustrating, in different load states, apower supply output current Io and a power supply output voltage Vo of aswitching power supply apparatus, and a drain current and a gate voltageof the voltage control type switching device 25 according to theembodiment 4.

In the driving circuit 60 according to the embodiment 4, when a loadcurrent detection signal 135 is set high within a time period in which acontrol signal 134 is on, a gate voltage switching circuit 2 controls afirst switch SW1 and a second switch SW2 to switch a gate voltage Vgsfrom Vdd2 to Vdd1. At this time, because the constant current circuit 10is connected to the high voltage driver 3, a gate charging current islimited, and rising an edge of the gate voltage Vgs to the Vdd1 issuppressed.

As described above, because the driving circuit 60 according to theembodiment 4 delays voltage rise speed at a time when the gate voltageis switched and reduces a high-frequency component by limiting the gatecharging current at a high gate voltage side, the driving circuit 60according to the embodiment 4 can suppress the occurrence of noise.

It is to be noted that the configuration of the driving circuitaccording to the present invention is not limited to FIG. 15illustrating the embodiment 4. Although the constant current circuit 10is connected to the high voltage driver 3 in the embodiment 4, the gatecharging current may be limited, for example, by connecting a gateresistor between the high voltage driver 3 and the first switch SW1.Furthermore, the gate charging current may be limited by connecting thegate resistor between a low voltage driver 4 and the second switch SW2.Moreover, the constant current circuit 10 may be connected to the lowvoltage driver 4, or to both the low voltage driver 4 and the highvoltage driver 3.

Furthermore, a switching power supply apparatus may include, forexample, instead of the feedback circuit 119, a current detector whichmeasures a load current value, and a load current detection circuit 27may output a load current detection signal 135 according to the measuredload current value. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating in detail theconfiguration which is shown in FIG. 15 and in which the currentdetector 26 is included instead of the feedback circuit 119 of theembodiment 4.

Embodiment 5

A driving circuit according to an embodiment 5 controls a low voltagedriver 4 so that the low voltage driver 4 generates, as a driving signalfor turning on a switching power supply apparatus, a pulse of Vdd1having a high gate voltage level, when a load current is equal to orlower than a threshold, and further controls a high voltage driver 3 sothat the high voltage driver 3 generates, as the driving signal forturning on the switching power supply apparatus, a pulse of the Vdd1having the high gate voltage level, when the load current is higher thanthe threshold.

FIG. 18 is a circuit diagram of a driving voltage switching circuit 70included in a driving circuit according to the embodiment 5. It is to benoted that the configuration is the same as the respectiveconfigurations of the driving circuit 20 according to the embodiments 1and 2 and the driving circuit 60 according to the embodiment 4, exceptthe driving voltage switching circuit included in the driving circuit.

A driving voltage switching circuit 70 includes a NAND circuit 41,inverter circuits 42 and 43, a high voltage applying circuit 31, a lowvoltage applying circuit 32, a turn-off circuit 33, and a reverse-flowprevention diode 34.

The NAND circuit 41 outputs, to the high voltage applying circuit 31, anegative logical AND between a load current detection signal 135 and acontrol signal 134. Consequently, when the load current detection signal135 and the control signal 134 are set high, the high voltage applyingcircuit 31 is driven.

The inverter circuit 42 outputs an inversion signal of the controlsignal 134 to a p-channel MOSFET 38, and the inverter circuit 43 outputsan inversion signal of the control signal 134 to an n-channel MOSFET 39.

The high voltage applying circuit 31 functions as a first driver, andincludes a level shift circuit 35, a p-channel MOSFET 36, and a constantcurrent circuit 37.

The level shift circuit 35 converts logic active at Vdd2 into logicactive at Vdd1. As a result, the p-channel MOSFET 36 in a subsequentstage can be turned off completely. The level shift circuit 35 may be acommon circuit which converts a low voltage signal into a high voltagesignal.

The Vdd1 is applied to a source of the p-channel MOSFET 36 via theconstant current circuit 37, and a signal which the level shift circuit35 converted into the logic active at the Vdd1 is inputted to a gate ofthe p-channel MOSFET 36.

The constant current circuit 37 limits a power supply current to besupplied to the p-channel MOSFET 36.

Thus, the p-channel MOSFET is turned on when the load current detectionsignal 135 and the control signal 134 are set high, respectively, andthe high voltage applying circuit 31 outputs the Vdd1. Furthermore,rising an edge of a driving signal 132 to the Vdd1 is mildly-sloped.

The low voltage applying circuit 32 functions as a second driver, andincludes the p-channel MOSFET 38. The Vdd2 is applied to a source of thep-channel MOSFET 38, and the control signal 134 which is inverted by theinverter circuit 42 is inputted to a gate of the p-channel MOSFET 38.Thus, the p-channel MOSFET 38 is turned on in a time period in which thecontrol signal 134 is set high, and the low voltage applying circuit 32outputs the Vdd2.

The turn-off circuit 33 includes the n-channel MOSFET 39. A source ofthe n-channel MOSFET 39 is grounded, and the control signal 134 which isinverted by the inverter circuit 43 is inputted to a gate of then-channel MOSFET 39. Thus, the n-channel MOSFET 39 is turned on in atime period in which the control signal 134 is set low, and the turn-offcircuit 33 outputs a ground level.

The reverse-flow prevention diode 34 is connected between a drain of thep-channel MOSFET 36 and a drain of the p-channel MOSFET 38. Thus, whenthe load current detection signal 135 and the control signal 134 are sethigh, that is, in a time period in which the p-channel MOSFET 36 and thep-channel MOSFET 38 are turned on, the reverse-flow prevention diode 34prevents reverse flow of a current from the high voltage applyingcircuit 31 to the low voltage applying circuit 32.

Next, the operation of the driving voltage switching circuit 70according to the embodiment 5 will be described. It is to be noted thata timing diagram to be described in the embodiment 5 is the same as thetiming diagram in FIG. 16 described in the embodiment 4.

When the control circuit 21 inputs, to the driving voltage switchingcircuit 70, the control signal 134 that is set high, on the one hand theinverter circuit 43 turns off the n-channel MOSFET 39 in the turn-offcircuit 33, but on the other hand the inverter circuit 42 turns on thep-channel MOSFET 38 in the low voltage applying circuit 32. Then, a lowpower supply voltage Vdd2 is supplied, as a driving voltage of thevoltage control type switching device 25, via the reverse-flowprevention diode 34 to turn on the voltage control type switching device25. After the voltage control type switching device 25 is turned on, acurrent flowing through the voltage control type switching device 25keeps increasing. When the current exceeds a threshold Idsth, the loadcurrent detection circuit 27 turns on the load current detection signal135, and an output of the NAND circuit 41 is inverted. A signaloutputted by the level shift circuit 35 performs on and off control ofthe p-channel MOSFET 36. That is to say, when the current flowingthrough the voltage control type switching device 25 exceeds thethreshold Idsth, the Vdd1 is supplied, as the driving voltage of thevoltage control type switching device 25, and the driving signal 132that is set high is switched from the Vdd2 to the Vdd1.

Because the reverse-flow prevention diode 34 is inserted between thehigh voltage applying circuit 31 and the low voltage applying circuit32, the current does not reversely flow into the low voltage applyingcircuit 32. Moreover, because the constant current circuit 37 isconnected to the source of the p-channel MOSFET 36 in the high voltageapplying circuit 31 and a gate charging current for switching thedriving voltage is supplied at constant amount, rising the edge of thedriving signal 132 to the Vdd1 becomes gradual.

As described above, the load current detection circuit 27 and the NANDcircuit 41 generate a pulse for enabling an output of the high voltageapplying circuit 31, when the load current is higher than the thresholdIdsth. The high voltage applying circuit 31 includes the p-channelMOSFET 36 having the source to which the Vdd1 is applied and the gate towhich the pulse signal of the logical AND between the load currentdetection signal 135 and the control signal 134 is applied. The lowvoltage applying circuit 32 includes the p-channel MOSFET 38 having thesource to which the Vdd2 is applied and the gate to which the controlsignal indicating a time period when the voltage control type switchingdevice 25 is turned on and a time period when the voltage control typeswitching 25 is turned off is applied. The driving voltage switchingcircuit 70 includes the reverse-flow prevention diode 34 which preventsthe reverse flow of the current and is connected between the respectivedrains of the p-channel MOSFETS 36 and 38, and the n-channel MOSFET 39which turns on and off the voltage control type switching device 25 in acomplementary manner with the p-channel MOSFET 38, and applies the drainvoltage of the p-channel MOSFET 38 as the driving signal 132 to thevoltage control type switching device 25.

Accordingly, the driving voltage switching circuit 70 according to theembodiment 5 can be easily configured using the MOSFET.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the presentinvention is not limited to the embodiments. Although only someexemplary embodiments of this invention have been described in detailabove, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that manymodifications are possible in the exemplary embodiments withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of thisinvention. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of this invention.

For example, the load current detection circuit 27 may output an analogsignal according to a load current, and the driving voltage switchingcircuit 22 and the control circuit 21 may perform signal processing onthe analog signal therein.

Although the load current is detected from the high voltage side of thevoltage control type switching device 25 in FIGS. 10, 11, 13 and 17, aresistor may be inserted at the low voltage side, and an I-V convertedsignal may be inputted to the load current detection circuit 27.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is a driving circuit which drives a powerswitching device in a switching power supply apparatus, and is suitablefor the switching power supply apparatus used in liquid crystal displaytelevisions, plasma televisions, DVD recorders, and so on.

1. A driving circuit, comprising: a generator configured to generate adriving signal having plural levels of voltage at which a powerswitching device is turned on; a switching controller configured toswitch between the plural levels of voltage at which the power switchingdevice is turned on; and a load current detector configured to output aload current detection signal to the switching controller, the loadcurrent detection signal indicating whether or not a current flowingthrough the power switching device exceeds a threshold, wherein theswitching controller is configured to perform the switching based on theload current detection signal.
 2. A switching power supply apparatus,comprising: a power switching device that switches voltage of an inputsignal; a driving circuit that drives said power switching device; atransformer that transforms voltage generated by driving said powerswitching device into a different voltage; and a rectifying andsmoothing circuit that rectifies and smoothes the transformed differentvoltage and outputs the rectified and smoothed voltage, wherein thedriving circuit includes: a generator configured to generate a drivingsignal having plural levels of voltage at which the power switchingdevice is turned on; a switching controller configured to switch betweenthe plural levels of voltage at which the power switching device isturned on; and a load current detector configured to output a loadcurrent detection signal to the switching controller, the load currentdetection signal indicating whether or not a current flowing through thepower switching device exceeds a threshold, wherein the switchingcontroller is configured to perform the switching based on the loadcurrent detection signal.